Bear spotted in Cherokee County

Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 9:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 9:22 p.m.

A black bear was spotted Tuesday morning in Cherokee County, but most likely it is not the same bear spotted Sunday in Gadsden, one expert says.

Someone saw the bear early Tuesday on Alabama Highway 9 between Centre and Piedmont, Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver said.

“It’s becoming more and more common to see them in this area,” Shaver said. “The big thing is to leave them alone.”

A black bear was spotted in East Gadsden on Sunday afternoon, and a bear was seen Saturday night on a porch at a house in Southside.

The sightings in Etowah County are believed to be the same bear, but the one in Cherokee County could be a different one, according to Tracy Nelson, a biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources who tracks bear activity in the state.

Bear sightings in Northeast Alabama are becoming more common, to a point that Nelson no longer keeps track of all of them.

There were about 50 calls of sightings of black bears in Northeast Alabama in 2008, up significantly from 2004 when Nelson first began keeping records. He said there are more and more incidents of bears being caught on game cameras and people seeing them in their yards and in gardens.

“They’re trying to find an easy food source to focus on,” he said.

While black bears have a big home range and can travel several square miles at any given time, Nelson said it isn’t likely the one seen in Etowah County is the same one seen in Cherokee County.

“They don’t usually travel that far unless they’re on the move, looking for a habitat,” he said.

And the hills of Northeast Alabama offer a perfect black bear habitat, he said.

Females are looking for dens, and with all the rock bluffs in the area, they are easy to find.

He said there also is plenty of vegetation the black bears love to eat.

There is an especially large population growing near Little River Canyon in DeKalb and Cherokee counties and at DeSoto State Park in DeKalb County in the areas where Alabama joins Georgia, in Chattooga and Floyd counties.

Nelson said there have been reports of black bears following Terrapin Creek in Cherokee County, which is near where the bear was spotted Tuesday.

He said sometimes bears are displaced and not familiar with the surroundings, which might make them move more.

Sometimes bears will do things they usually don’t do, such as cross major highways and go into populated areas, when they’re not familiar with the surroundings.

“They’re very vulnerable in unfamiliar territory, especially young males,” he said. “As long as you give then plenty of space and leave them alone, they will leave you alone.”

Nelson said it is not surprising the number of bear sightings is increasing. All the states that border the Northeast Alabama area and other nearby states have large bear populations.

He said there were 2,000 legally harvested bears in North Carolina last year.

It’s illegal in Alabama to kill a black bear, which is protected by state law. They are considered game animals, but there is no open season in Alabama.

<p>A black bear was spotted Tuesday morning in Cherokee County, but most likely it is not the same bear spotted Sunday in Gadsden, one expert says.</p><p>Someone saw the bear early Tuesday on Alabama Highway 9 between Centre and Piedmont, Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver said. </p><p>“It's becoming more and more common to see them in this area,” Shaver said. “The big thing is to leave them alone.”</p><p>A black bear was spotted in East Gadsden on Sunday afternoon, and a bear was seen Saturday night on a porch at a house in Southside.</p><p>The sightings in Etowah County are believed to be the same bear, but the one in Cherokee County could be a different one, according to Tracy Nelson, a biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources who tracks bear activity in the state.</p><p>Bear sightings in Northeast Alabama are becoming more common, to a point that Nelson no longer keeps track of all of them.</p><p>There were about 50 calls of sightings of black bears in Northeast Alabama in 2008, up significantly from 2004 when Nelson first began keeping records. He said there are more and more incidents of bears being caught on game cameras and people seeing them in their yards and in gardens. </p><p>“They're trying to find an easy food source to focus on,” he said.</p><p>While black bears have a big home range and can travel several square miles at any given time, Nelson said it isn't likely the one seen in Etowah County is the same one seen in Cherokee County.</p><p>“They don't usually travel that far unless they're on the move, looking for a habitat,” he said.</p><p>And the hills of Northeast Alabama offer a perfect black bear habitat, he said.</p><p>Females are looking for dens, and with all the rock bluffs in the area, they are easy to find.</p><p>He said there also is plenty of vegetation the black bears love to eat.</p><p>There is an especially large population growing near Little River Canyon in DeKalb and Cherokee counties and at DeSoto State Park in DeKalb County in the areas where Alabama joins Georgia, in Chattooga and Floyd counties.</p><p>Nelson said there have been reports of black bears following Terrapin Creek in Cherokee County, which is near where the bear was spotted Tuesday.</p><p>He said sometimes bears are displaced and not familiar with the surroundings, which might make them move more.</p><p>Sometimes bears will do things they usually don't do, such as cross major highways and go into populated areas, when they're not familiar with the surroundings.</p><p>“They're very vulnerable in unfamiliar territory, especially young males,” he said. “As long as you give then plenty of space and leave them alone, they will leave you alone.”</p><p>Nelson said it is not surprising the number of bear sightings is increasing. All the states that border the Northeast Alabama area and other nearby states have large bear populations.</p><p>He said there were 2,000 legally harvested bears in North Carolina last year.</p><p>It's illegal in Alabama to kill a black bear, which is protected by state law. They are considered game animals, but there is no open season in Alabama.</p>